The Preaching Platform

Sermon : Four Steps to Win the Battle Over Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

April 22, 2017 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 14 Comments

Introduction

A man was constantly worrying that somebody was under his bed. He went to a Counselor who was willing to help him, but at a high fee, over many months. A few weeks later the Counselor met the man on the street and asked him why he had not returned. The man replied, “I met a friend who gave me some great advice for free. It worked perfectly’. The Counselor asked what advice had been given him and the man replied, ‘He asked me to cut the legs of the bed down to ground level”!

How much we worry and how many of our worries are unfounded? Unhealthy worrying can cripple us to the point of making us ineffective and unable to cope with life’s challenges. It can also lead to depression. We worry over sickness, viruses, finances, family, children, salt, sugar, unforeseen dangers and many other things.

Sermon: Torn Between Two Loves or Loving God?

February 11, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

LOVE FOR GOD

Introductory Questions: Are you loving God or Loving the things of the world? How strong is your love for God?

Those who are part of the generation I grew up in would remember the 1977 pop hit ‘Torn Between Two Lovers” sung by Mary MacGregor. It spoke about a lady who was attracted to 2 men at the same time. In the lyrics she tells one of them,

‘It doesn’t mean I love you less’ but ‘there’s just this empty place inside of me that only he can fill’!!!

This raises a question. Can we love 2 things equally at the same time?

Jesus in the passage in 1 John 2:15-17 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” It is therefore clear that Jesus is saying that we cannot love God and the world at the same time. In other words, He’s saying that our love for one will be greater than the other!!

God’s Restoration of the Lost Years : Sermon (Isaiah 54)

January 12, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

Sermon : God’s Restoration of the Lost Years

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka – Photo Credit: Vasantha Jayasooriya

INTRODUCTION

Let me begin this sermon on God’s restoration with the following illustration.

One of the historical wonders of Sri Lanka is the complex rock fortress, Sigiriya, and the palace built on it by one of our former Kings, Kasyapa, many centuries ago. It is an amazing place to see & tourists flock there to view its beauty, grandeur and craftsmanship. One of the highlights of Sigiriya is the frescoes that are painted on the rock walls. These and the site itself are considered National treasures, with UNESCO listing Sigiriya as a world heritage site. (If ever you come over to Sri Lanka, you need to visit Sigiriya).

Many years ago, some of the frescoes were vandalized by an unknown group of people, with, (if I remember correctly), either ink or paint being thrown, to deface them. As a result, many experts had to be brought in (foreign and local), to work at restoring these frescoes back to their original state. Thankfully, they succeeded in most of their painstaking efforts.

Sermon: 3 Things to be Thankful For

December 9, 2015 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Image Credit: Snappa

Introduction

Recently, my brother Nimal, who was formerly a ship’s captain and is now a lay Pastor in our church, shared the Word of God in one of our services. In that sermon he expressed his appreciation and thanks to me for being the first in our family circle to accept the Lord Jesus & for holding on to that commitment in the midst of much opposition. The end result, he mentioned, was that he and eventually our entire family, came to salvation. I was so glad that after all these years he still remembered and was thankful.

We live in a world where gratitude is often not expressed and help given is easily forgotten. Undercutting and backstabbing seem to be the order of the day! That brings me to the main thought in my sermon.

5 Foundations To Build A Blessed Family

October 18, 2015 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 15 Comments

Image credit: Evil Erin

Introduction

Many buildings that look strong on the outside develop cracks and some collapse, due to the foundation being weak. Bad foundations produce bad buildings! It’s no different with building a blessed family. Didn’t the Lord Jesus Himself give us the parable of the house on the Rock and the one on sand (Matthew 7:24-27)? The house on the Rock stood firm because it had the right foundation.

In this article, I would like to share what I believe are 5 vital foundations for building a blessed family. They are:

Willingly Answering God’s Call – Wesley Hall (Acts 26:9)

February 14, 2026 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

Answering God's Call highlighted by a visual of a man praying in a moment of surrender at church.

Sermon Illustration on Answering God’s Call:

Legendary West Indian fast bowler Sir Wesley Hall was a strongly-built, larger than life cricketer who played international cricket between 1958 to 1969. His long run-up, fearsome pace bowling, outstanding personality, and exploits on the cricket field, made him one of the most-loved sportsmen to emerge from the Caribbean. In 48 international test matches, Hall took 192 wickets at an average 26.38 runs per wicket.

FINDING GOD’S STRENGTH THROUGH HIS PROMISES THIS YEAR

January 16, 2026 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a Bible in keeping with the theme of Finding God's Strength Through His Promises.

Sermon about ‘God’s Strength’, preached at the People’s Church in Sri Lanka on 11th January 2026

Our Theme for the year: STAND ON THE WORD – When Lies Are Loud – Truth Stands Firm.

This is the second week of the year and that’s when reality hits. The excitement of the first week could fade away quickly because our challenges may still remain. So, in week 1 we may be highly motivated, but in week 2, we could still be struggling in our trials.

Some of you came into this year fired up, with new purpose, hope, and vision – then suddenly: The pressure didn’t ease – The temptation didn’t stop – The trials continued. If so, we should remember that God never promised a pressure-free life or a great escape from trials – But He did promise strength that never runs out for you and me.

Remembering God’s Goodness – Trusting His Care in the Year Ahead (Deuteronomy 11)

January 2, 2026 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a Shepherd looking after his sheep to signify God's Goodness over His children.

Introduction to sermon on God’s Goodness and Care: Hello friends, it’s my joy to bring you God’s Word today. Well, we are at the beginning of the first month of this year, so I just wonder what January will bring for you. I’m sure many of you went back already to the past year, looking back on what happened in your life—the good things and the not-so-pleasant things.

We came to December and you probably celebrated Christmas, if not with a lot of money, at least with the beauty of the message of the birth of Christ our Lord. And then you probably looked forward to something beautiful, something better, something more meaningful, happening in your life this year.

A Living Hope That Produces a Godly Lifestyle

November 26, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of sunlight breaking through trees to show the living hope we have in Christ.

Topic: A Living Hope That Produces a Godly Lifestyle (1 Peter 2:11-25).

Illustration: Share the illustration of how Rabbi Chaim told a visitor to his home that he lived simply because his home was not in this world, but in heaven.

Introduction: In this passage, Peter refers to how the Christian should live in the dark and dangerous times they faced. He emphasizes that they should face suffering and persecution joyfully by understanding the full value of their eternal purpose and the living hope they had.

Trivia:

Peter – His name is referred to around 210 times in the New Testament. He is called the ‘apostle of hope’.

Suffering – The word is mentioned 16 times in 1 Peter.

A Journey of Revival, Reliance, and Repentance – King Hezekiah’s Reign

November 17, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a man reading the Bible to highlight the reliance Hezekiah showed for God's Word.

Introduction: Start the sermon by describing a memorable personal journey. Maybe about a memorable spiritual journey.

* The Bible says this about Hezekiah in 2 Chronicles 29:2 – “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord…”

Trivia on Hezekiah:

* He was the 13th King of Judah

* He is considered to be the second best king in their history

* It is believed that he had a hand in the process of putting together a few of the Psalms

* His reign was extremely successful and prosperous (2 Chronicles 32:27-30)

* He ruled for 29 years (2 Chronicles 29:1).

* He is mentioned in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:9-10)

This sermon covers the following 3 points connected to King Hezekiah’s reign.

The Benefits of Giving (Generosity) – 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

November 12, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a wrapped gift to denote the beauty of generosity as shown in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

Illustration on Generosity: A Surprising Gift

My mobile phone was on its last legs. It had already been through an expensive repair on the touch screen, and now, it was clear that its days were numbered. A vital part of my ministry, I realized that I needed a new phone as quickly as possible, before the imminent crash. The cost, however, was too much at the moment, which left us searching for possible options.

A few mornings later, I received a call from one of my friends. “Pastor, I’m parked outside your home. Can you come down for a few minutes?” Wondering what had brought him to my home that early, I hurried down the stairwell. As I reached his car, he stepped out and handed me a box. “Pastor, I came to give you this.” It was a new phone! The Lord had burdened his heart, he had humbly followed the Lord’s prompting. I had my needed new phone! My need had been met through the generosity of a fellow-believer and friend.

God’s Concern for the Small Things on Our Daily Journey

November 5, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

A visual of a mother caring for her two small children to depict God's concern for us in small things.

(The transcript of a sermon that shows God’s Concern in our daily challenges, preached at the People’s Church (Assembly of God) in Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Introduction: You know, there’s a story of the well-remembered evangelist and preacher George Mueller. He was a man who looked after thousands of children, orphans, in various locations. He never asked support from anyone but always prayed and trusted God for provision for this ministry that he was doing with these children. One story that really struck me was about how he depended on the Lord day by day for his needs.

One day, in one of the locations, there were 300+ children, but there was no food that morning. When this crisis came, in faith, he asked the children to come and sit at the tables, and then he prayed. Apparently, as the story goes, soon there was a knock on the door, and he opened it to find that the guy who ran the bakery nearby had felt a prompting from God to bring bread for the children. They were fed, and soon after, there was another knock on the door.

Answering God’s Call – ‘Strength From God’s Word’ Podcast

July 19, 2025 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

‘Answering God’s Call’ –

This recent episode (Episode 24) from The Preaching Platform’s “Strength from God’s Word’ podcast, is based around former West Indian pace bowler Sir Wesley Hall, his service for God, and the first ever tied-test in the history of Test Cricket. Take 3.04” minutes to listen and be encouraged today.

Do consider subscribing to our You Tube channel by clicking here.

For a useful article on preaching titled ‘Preaching from Biblical Journeys’, click here.